WebRTC API redirection with network connectivity steering

Abstract

A computing system includes a virtual desktop server and a client computing device. The virtual desktop server includes a real-time media application to provide real-time communications (RTC) for peer-to-peer networking, and a native RTC engine to execute a portion of the real-time media application when received by the native RTC engine. An API code redirection module redirects intercepted APIs of the real-time media application so that the portion of the real-time media application is redirected away from the native RTC engine to a client RTC engine in the client computing device. The client RTC engine executes the redirected portion of the real-time media application, and performs network connectivity probing to determine reachability to a peer computing device. A media stream is established with the peer computing device based on the network connectivity probing.

That which is claimed: 
     
       1. A computing system comprising:
 a virtual desktop server comprising:
 an application framework comprising a real-time media application to provide real-time communications (RTC) for peer-to-peer networking, and a native RTC engine to execute a first portion of the real-time media application, and 
 an application programming interface (API) code redirection module to redirect intercepted APIs of the real-time media application intended for the native RTC engine so that a second portion of the real-time media application is redirected away from the native RTC engine; and 
 
 a client computing device comprising a client RTC API engine communicating with the API code redirection module to:
 execute the redirected second portion of the real-time media application, with the redirected second portion of the real-time media application corresponding to networking connectivity probing being off-loaded to said client computing device, and including a probing point to a connectivity server, 
 perform the off-loaded network connectivity probing to determine reachability to a peer computing device by requesting a relay path from a connectivity server based on the received probing point to the connectivity server, with the peer computing device also requesting a relay path from the connectivity server, and 
 establish at least one media stream with the peer computing device based on media paths chosen by the connectivity. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The computing system according to  claim 1  wherein the portion of the real-time media application being redirected includes information directed to at least one of a session traversal utilities for NAT (STUN) server, a traversal using relay NAT (TURN) server, and a combination of a STUN and TURN server. 
     
     
       3. The computing system according to  claim 2  wherein the client RTC API engine communicates with the API code redirection module through a virtual channel, and wherein the information directed to STUN and TURN servers to be used in the network connectivity probing is provided over the virtual channel. 
     
     
       4. The computing system according to  claim 1  wherein the network connectivity probing is based on interactive connectivity establishment (ICE). 
     
     
       5. The computing system according to  claim 1  wherein the network connectivity probing is based on communications with at least one session traversal utilities for NAT (STUN) server implementing a STUN protocol. 
     
     
       6. The computing system according to  claim 5  wherein the network connectivity probing is further based on communications with at least one traversal using relay NAT (TURN) server implementing a TURN protocol. 
     
     
       7. The computing system according to  claim 1  wherein the API code redirection module redirects the intercepted APIs based on redirection code injected into the real-time media application. 
     
     
       8. The computing system according to  claim 1  wherein the redirected APIs correspond to real-time media processing. 
     
     
       9. The computing system according to  claim 1  wherein the peer computing device is configured as another client computing device. 
     
     
       10. The computing system according to  claim 1  wherein the peer computing device is configured as a conference bridge. 
     
     
       11. A method for providing real-time communications (RTC) for peer-to-peer networking comprising:
 receiving, by a virtual desktop server, a first portion of a real-time media application to be executed by a native RTC engine of the virtual desktop server; 
 intercepting and redirecting, by an application programming interface (API) code redirection module of the virtual desktop server, APIs of the real-time media application intended for the native RTC engine so that a second portion of the real-time media application is redirected away from the native RTC engine; and 
 instructing, by the virtual desktop server, a client computing device communicating with the API code redirection module to:
 execute the redirected second portion of the real-time media application, with the redirected second portion of the real-time media application corresponding to networking connectivity probing being off-loaded to the client computing device, and including a probing point to a connectivity server, 
 perform the off-loaded network connectivity probing to determine reachability to a peer computing device by requesting a relay path from a connectivity server based on the received probing point to the connectivity server, with the peer computing device also requesting a relay path from the connectivity server, and 
 establish at least one media stream with a peer computing device based on media paths chosen by the connectivity server. 
 
 
     
     
       12. The method according to  claim 11  wherein the redirected portion of the real-time media application includes information directed to at least one of a session traversal utilities for NAT (STUN) server, a traversal using relay NAT (TURN) server, and a combination of a STUN and TURN server. 
     
     
       13. The method according to  claim 12  wherein a client RTC API engine of the client computing device communicates with the API code redirection module of the virtual desktop server through a virtual channel, and wherein the information directed to STUN and TURN servers to be used in the network connectivity probing is provided over the virtual channel. 
     
     
       14. The method according to  claim 11  wherein the availability of the peer computing device is determined by network connectivity probing based on interactive connectivity establishment (ICE). 
     
     
       15. The method according to  claim 11  wherein the network connectivity probing is based on communications with at least one session traversal utilities for NAT (STUN) server implementing a STUN protocol. 
     
     
       16. The method according to  claim 15  wherein the network connectivity probing is further based on communications with at least one traversal using relay NAT (TURN) server implementing a TURN protocol. 
     
     
       17. The method according to  claim 12  wherein the API code redirection module redirects the intercepted APIs based on redirection code injected into the real-time media application. 
     
     
       18. The method according to  claim 11  wherein the redirected APIs correspond to real-time media processing. 
     
     
       19. The method according to  claim 11  wherein the peer computing device is configured as at least one of another client computing device and a conference bridge. 
     
     
       20. A non-transitory computer readable medium for operating a client computing device within a computing system comprising a virtual desktop server, with the virtual desktop server comprising an application framework comprising a real-time media application to provide real-time communications (RTC) for peer-to-peer networking, and a native RTC engine to execute a first portion of the real-time media application when received by the native RTC engine, and an application programming interface (API) code redirection module to redirect intercepted APIs of the real-time media application intended for the native RTC engine so that a second portion of the real-time media application is redirected away from the native RTC engine, and with the non-transitory computer readable medium having a plurality of computer executable instructions for causing the client computing device to perform steps comprising:
 executing the redirected second portion of the real-time media application, with the redirected second portion of the real-time media application corresponding to networking connectivity probing being off-loaded to the client computing device, and including a probing point to a connectivity server; 
 perform the off-loaded network connectivity probing to determine reachability to a peer computing device by requesting a relay path from a connectivity server based on the received probing point to the connectivity server, with the peer computing device also requesting a relay path from the connectivity server; and 
 establish at least one media stream with the peer computing device based on media paths chosen by the connectivity server. 
 
     
     
       21. A method for providing real-time communications (RTC) for peer-to-peer networking comprising:
 receiving, by a client computing device in communication with a virtual desktop server, intercepted and redirected application programming interface (API) from the virtual desktop server, the API related to a portion of a real-time media application to be executed by the virtual desktop server, wherein the portion of the real-time media application is redirected to the client computing device; 
 executing, by the client computing device, the redirected portion of the real-time media application, with the redirected portion of the real-time media application corresponding to networking connectivity probing being off-loaded to the client computing device, and including a probing point to a connectivity server; 
 performing, by the client computing device, the off-loaded network connectivity probing to determine reachability to a peer computing device by requesting a relay path from a connectivity server based on the received probing point to the connectivity server, with the peer computing device also requesting a relay path from the connectivity server; and 
 establishing, by the client computing device, at least one media stream with the peer computing device based on media paths chosen by the connectivity server.